To close Mutek Experience 2, London-based DJ and producer Al Wooton drew inspiration from his city’s rich musical tradition, which blends genres, to deliver a percussive and ever-changing set.
He began his two-hour performance with industrial textures. We passed through a dark atmosphere before gradually moving on to woody marimbas, sampled hand percussion, and African-inspired vocals. From then on, the rhythm took over, with percussion driving the show.
Wooton’s set flowed seamlessly between laid-back British bass music and Afrobeat, with touches of acid and baile funk. It gradually evolved into heavier rhythms and complex variations of drum patterns, punctuated by well-placed breakdowns. Bird and bat calls, along with pan flute samples, infused bursts of organic life into his immersive soundscape. The distorted, percussive vocals that intertwined toward the end were particularly striking. A raw, almost ritualistic energy.
Behind the turntables, Wooton was completely absorbed in his art, rarely looking up, but clearly focused on the groove. His control of tempo changes, breaks, and rhythmic escalation kept the dance floor moving, bodies swaying to the ebb and flow that echoed the tribal journey he was charting.
This rollercoaster approach kept the audience on the edge of their seats until the very end. The final moments—a percussive avalanche of bongos, samba whistles, pan flutes, and wild Latin vocals—had the crowd screaming and applauding as the set came to its triumphant conclusion.
